Short Story: Best Feeling at First Sight

It’s lunch time at Harftford high school and the cafeteria is crowded with loud hungry students. In the center of the circle tables, peppy junior Maya Lathel sits in her cheerleading uniform amongst the cheerleaders and football players. Classic American high school dynamic that never really changes.

Maya’s always excited and enthusiastic, that’s why being a cheerleader was so easy for her, unlike the other girls who had to hide their snarky attitudes. Maya loved cheerleading, but what she could live without was her boyfriend Ross never being able to keep it in his pants when she wore the two-piece uniform that showed off her tan legs.

Maya liked Ross, but just as friends. He was a good looking guy with sandy hair and aesthetically pleasing dimples, but he was dull and could only talk about the game last night and maybe the great meal his mom cooked. The only thing Maya found interesting about was the fact that his dad owned a delicatessen; other than that he was plain old vanilla, which tastes good on a hot summer's day, but gets boring easily. She only let him kiss her and label her his girlfriend because like many teens, she wanted to be like her friends, and all of them were sitting on the laps of football players. If it wasn’t for her friends who were just as dull as Ross, she wouldn’t be trying to hold her breath over the smell of Ross’s letterman jacket.

“Babe can you get me some ketchup,” Ross asks without even turning to look at Maya. Maya gives him a nod and doesn’t hesitate to jump from her seat and walk across the cafeteria, where her legs became the center of attention. While her friends would scold people who glanced their way, Maya struts with a big smile on her face as her black curls bounce.

She goes to the condiment section and and grabs a handful of ketchups even though Ross doesn’t need any for his leftover bites of his hot dog. Before she can take the ketchups and bring them back to the table to be given a slobbery kiss from Ross, she takes a moment to gaze around the cafeteria. Her eyes wander over each table of different cliques as they laugh and Maya wished she could laugh with them instead of doing a small giggle at Ross’s corny jokes.

Maya was about to go back to the table, but her eyes stop on a girl she’s never seen before. The girl stands in the back of the cafeteria with long platinum blonde hair down her back and piercing blue eyes. Maya’s heartbeat sped up looking at the alluring girl, and she probably looked like a weirdo staring from the condiment section. She couldn’t help it though, the girl was different in a completely amazing way. She drowned herself in oversized clothing and bit her fingernails like no one was watching, and before Maya gazed upon her, no one was.

All at once the butterflies rush into Maya’s stomach and giddiness runs through. All the things that were supposed to happen with Ross, but didn’t, and Maya was glad for this because she liked the new feelings that took over her body just from a glance. She was also confused because the girl she was looking at was a girl, and these feelings were supposed to be reserved for the Brandon Walshes of the world. Maya doesn’t push the feelings away and keeps looking at the girl, and for the first time, the platinum blonde looks up from her nails and her blueberry eyes meet Maya’s chocolate ones. Instantly, Maya’s cheeks turn red and the mysterious platinum blonde gives her a little wave. Maya is about to do the same, but unfortunately she ran up the limit on getting packets of ketchup.

“Babe when I said get ketchups I kind of wanted you to bring them back to me,” Ross said.

Maya lets out a sigh and keeps her smile nice and intact as she walks back to the table. As she handed Ross the ketchups and he pressed his lips on her cheek her only thought was, that was the best feeling at first sight.